We're waiting for the Beast from the East. Living in the Forest of Dean could mean we've got a long wait being on the western border of England. We do love a bit of snow and ice.
After our recent trip to Rutland and Leicestershire we've been a bit quiet on the hill bagging front, not because we want to be but logistically it's getting more difficult. (You may be pleased to hear that we still have a bit of Stilton in the fridge).
We've nearly nailed our neighbouring counties and some slightly further afield but now we have to start some serious planning and we've still got relatively short days if a big climb is to be involved. In addition we are seriously out of condition.
Once I get an idea in my head it's difficult to get rid of and even someone talking common sense isn't in with much of a chance of dissuading me (cold, winter, bug, high, feeling old etc); hence Chwarel Y Fan, highest peak in Monmouthshire and coming in at number 16 on the hitlist. If successful this will be our 14th peak, not quite a quarter of the way there but it does feel like progress is being made. 680 glorious metres above sea level.
George and I have been very close before. Last winter we had a lovely walk in the valley bottom up to Grwyne Fawr, it was ferociously cold and we enjoyed the frozen puddles, waterfalls and icicles that lined the route. It's an eerie place on top of the dam and somehow odd to think of the reservoir supplying water to the town of Abertillery but now redundant, so I don't know what they drink there now. After our walk we drove through the town to satisfy our curiosity, I'm not permitted to mention the complicated one way system, after all we were only going one way...
Today however we had a county top to conquer, the highest one we've done since we started our challenge. I don't remember it looking so high, in my mind it was just a small bank.
The walk starts off in the foot of the valley and you strike off immediately through a forest, beautiful enchanted forest where unicorns live and Harry Potter could well have visited.
This stretch was up a track with an icy stream flowing down the middle which was joined frequently by waterfalls with icicles sparkling in the sunshine as it made its way through the trees. It was lovely to see a family of nuthatches flitting around. The path was uneven and rocky and somehow we went wrong, this is not an unusual occurrence for us. We could see the sunshine getting brighter and then all of a sudden there we were on the edge of the forest looking out over spectacular mountainside and up towards the dam. The only trouble was there was no gate in the fence and there wasn't one visible anywhere near, thankfully there was no barbed wire involved and so we blew caution to the wind and struck out up the mountainside.
We soon found the path which took us to the Blacksmiths Anvil, it's a shame I didn't know what I was looking at, its significance has passed me by I'm afraid.
We had a chat with some other brave walkers, it was very cold and windy up on the ridge. The summit was in sight and like a flash we had made it up there. George observed a one sided tree. I got the coffee out and we sat in a still little dip out of the wind to enjoy the peace and quiet.
We retraced our steps back down, through the biting wind, off the ridge, down the mountainside, back into the enchanted forest (through the gate this time) and unsurprisingly we got lost again and had to drop down a 12 foot cliff.
I'm beginning to think that this little valley and its epic peace and quiet might be one of my favourite places on the planet.
After our recent trip to Rutland and Leicestershire we've been a bit quiet on the hill bagging front, not because we want to be but logistically it's getting more difficult. (You may be pleased to hear that we still have a bit of Stilton in the fridge).
We've nearly nailed our neighbouring counties and some slightly further afield but now we have to start some serious planning and we've still got relatively short days if a big climb is to be involved. In addition we are seriously out of condition.
Once I get an idea in my head it's difficult to get rid of and even someone talking common sense isn't in with much of a chance of dissuading me (cold, winter, bug, high, feeling old etc); hence Chwarel Y Fan, highest peak in Monmouthshire and coming in at number 16 on the hitlist. If successful this will be our 14th peak, not quite a quarter of the way there but it does feel like progress is being made. 680 glorious metres above sea level.
George and I have been very close before. Last winter we had a lovely walk in the valley bottom up to Grwyne Fawr, it was ferociously cold and we enjoyed the frozen puddles, waterfalls and icicles that lined the route. It's an eerie place on top of the dam and somehow odd to think of the reservoir supplying water to the town of Abertillery but now redundant, so I don't know what they drink there now. After our walk we drove through the town to satisfy our curiosity, I'm not permitted to mention the complicated one way system, after all we were only going one way...
Today however we had a county top to conquer, the highest one we've done since we started our challenge. I don't remember it looking so high, in my mind it was just a small bank.
The walk starts off in the foot of the valley and you strike off immediately through a forest, beautiful enchanted forest where unicorns live and Harry Potter could well have visited.
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| Expecto Patronum! |
This stretch was up a track with an icy stream flowing down the middle which was joined frequently by waterfalls with icicles sparkling in the sunshine as it made its way through the trees. It was lovely to see a family of nuthatches flitting around. The path was uneven and rocky and somehow we went wrong, this is not an unusual occurrence for us. We could see the sunshine getting brighter and then all of a sudden there we were on the edge of the forest looking out over spectacular mountainside and up towards the dam. The only trouble was there was no gate in the fence and there wasn't one visible anywhere near, thankfully there was no barbed wire involved and so we blew caution to the wind and struck out up the mountainside.
We soon found the path which took us to the Blacksmiths Anvil, it's a shame I didn't know what I was looking at, its significance has passed me by I'm afraid.
We had a chat with some other brave walkers, it was very cold and windy up on the ridge. The summit was in sight and like a flash we had made it up there. George observed a one sided tree. I got the coffee out and we sat in a still little dip out of the wind to enjoy the peace and quiet.
We retraced our steps back down, through the biting wind, off the ridge, down the mountainside, back into the enchanted forest (through the gate this time) and unsurprisingly we got lost again and had to drop down a 12 foot cliff.
I'm beginning to think that this little valley and its epic peace and quiet might be one of my favourite places on the planet.
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